Study sheds light on little-known migration habits of iconic Atlantic puffin
FREDERICTON — They are small, ungainly and an adored feature of eastern Canada.
But until now, little has been known about the winter travel habits of the Atlantic puffin — the stout black and white seabird known for its grace in the water and clumsy movements on land and air.
A new study released Thursday by a team of international researchers is shedding light on where the iconic birds travel in winter, and how their destination may affect their ultimate survival.
Tony Diamond, a University of New Brunswick ecologist who collaborated on the study with the University of Oxford, tracked puffins from the colony at Machias Seal Island on the Maine-New Brunswick border using tags the size of a thumb nail affixed to their legs. The data tracked how far the puffins travelled, calculated the energy they expended and determined whether they mixed with other colonies.